In an early blog post, we discussed the question,
“Do you need to learn Thai to live well in Thailand?”
You can check that blog post out here.
To quickly summarize that post, the answer was no.
I don’t think it is necessary to learn the Thai language to live a fantastic life in Thailand.
Thankfully enough Thai people speak basic Thai that you can get around with just English.
I’ve met long term expats in Thailand who can barely speak Thai beyond the numbers but live an amazing life here.
But with that said, I certainly recommend everyone to try to learn Thai if you plan on spending any amount of time in Thailand.
Why?
-It will help you connect with Thai people
-It will help you get around
-It will help you find your way if you’re lost or looking for something
-It will show that you are trying to respect Thai culture (rather than coming to a foreign country and insisting everyone speak YOUR language).
-It will help protect you from scams (because if you speak even a little Thai, the scammers know that you aren’t just a naive tourist)
-It will help you get better deals in markets, taxis, etc.
-It will help with dating
-And more.
So whether you are just here on holiday, or you’re looking to make Thailand your new home, here are some Thai phrases you should learn:
****And notice there is a male and female version for each phrase. When you are trying to be polite, males end their sentences with “krap” and females with “kaaa”.
Basic Thai Survival Phrases
Hello: Sa wat dee krap (male) Sa wat dee kaaa (female)
Thank You: Kop Kune Krap (male) Kop Kune Kaaa (female)
My name is: Pom Chue _____ (male) Chan Chue ______(female)
What’s your name? Kune Chue Arai Krap (male) Kune Chue Arai Kaa (female)
I don’t understand: Mai Kow Jai
Sorry: Kor Tote Krap (male) Kor Tote Kaaa (female)
How are you?: Sa Bai Dee Mai?
No thank you: Mai Ow Krap (male) Mai Ow Kaaa (female)
How much?: Tao Lai krap (male) Tao Lai kaa (female)
1: Neung
2: Song
3: Sam
4: Si
5: Ha
6: Hok
7: Jet
8: Pbaet
9: Gao
10: Sip
20: Yee Sip
25: Yee Sip Ha
30: Sam Sip
50: Ha Sip
100: Neung Roi
500: Ha Roi
1000: Neung Pan
Toilet/bathroom: Hong Nam
Where is the bathroom/toilet? : Hong Nam Yu Tee Nai Krap (male) Hong Nam Yu Tee Nai Kaaa (female)
Go straight: Drong Bai
Turn Right: Leo Kwa
Turn Left: Leo Sai
Beef: Nua
Chicken: Gai
Duck: Bped
Pork: Moo
Vegetables: Pak
Is it spicy? Pet mai krap (male) Pet mai kaa (female)
Not spicy please: Mai pet krap (male) Mai pet kaaa (female)
Certainly not a definitive list by any means, but these are probably the most important first phrases to learn when you come to Thailand.
And it’s basically certain that you are going to speak Thai incorrectly from just reading these (because Thai is a tonal language), but in the right context, most Thai people will understand what you mean.
But I recommend searching all these phrases on google translate and listening to the audio so you have a better understanding on how to pronounce it.
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